Pack puts Bears' backs to wall

Two weeks ago, they were riding high with an 8-4 record and an NFC Central title within reach. Now, after Sunday's 40-3 blowout/thrashing/humiliation/drubbing by the Green Bay Packers, the seemingly foregone conclusion of a playoff berth is not even a given.

A division title is virtually out of the question. The Bears would have to win their last two games while Minnesota (9-5) loses its final two, including Saturday's game against Detroit (8-6), and the Lions then lose their season finale at Miami.

The Bears (8-6) can assure themselves of a wild-card spot with victories in their final two games. But a 9-7 finish will leave them at the mercy of the NFL tiebreaker system, where they trail other wild-card contenders because of their records in NFC Central games (3-5) and NFC games (5-6).

The Packers improved to 7-7 with their must win. If Green Bay wins its final two games against Atlanta and Tampa Bay and if the Bears split their final two games at home against the Los Angeles Rams and New England, the Packers would hold the tiebreaker edge.

The Vikings, who already have beaten the Bears twice, retained first place in the division with a 21-17 victory Sunday at Buffalo. And the Lions matched the Bears' record with a victory Saturday against the New York Jets. The Lions and Bears split their two games this year, but the Lions currently own the playoff tiebreaker by virtue of their better division record.

The Bears lost their second straight Sunday in front of 57,927 frozen fans who braved 15-degree temperatures and a wind chill of 6 at Lambeau Field.

It was the worst Bears loss in coach Dave Wannstedt's two seasons and their worst since a 52-14 loss at San Francisco on Dec. 23, 1991.

"It wasn't (poor) preparation," said Wannstedt. "Our guys prepared for this game mentally and physically all week no different than any other week. But we didn't play at a level that we need to play at to beat a team like Green Bay. We dropped balls today that we hadn't dropped. We missed tackles. They made the plays and we didn't."

The Packers, who entered the game with the 24th-ranked rushing attack in the NFL, ran for 257 yards on 46 carries. Fullback Edgar Bennett rushed for 106 yards. His three career 100-yard games have all come against the Bears.

Quarterback Brett Favre passed for 250 yards, completing 19 of 31 for three touchdowns-two to Sterling Sharpe and one to Robert Brooks.

The Packers' 516 net yards was the most since Green Bay had 519 on Oct. 2, 1983, against Tampa Bay.

"They came out and kept us guessing, because we didn't know if they were going to run it or pass it," said Bears defensive end Alonzo Spellman. "That's because they were running it so well.

"It had nothing to do with our attitude or how we came out emotionally. We were on fire when the game started and they were, too. They were the better team today."

The Packers were the better team in both games this year, outscoring the Bears 73-9.

"I'm not going to sugar-coat it. They played very well and we played very bad," said Bears safety Mark Carrier.

The Bears actually led 3-0 on a 25-yard field goal by Kevin Butler at the end of an 11-play, 92-yard drive that started at their own 1. A 44-yard pass from Steve Walsh to Jeff Graham got the Bears out of a deep hole. And passes of 12 and 24 yards to Curtis Conway and rookie Antonio Carter kept the drive rolling. But a third-down pass intended for Graham was deflected by Packers linebacker Bryce Paup and the Bears had to settle for their only points of the day.

Favre hit Brooks on a 12-yard TD pass with 3 minutes 32 seconds left in the first period for a 7-3 lead, and the rout was on.

Green Bay led 24-3 at the half, scoring on a 40-yard field goal by Chris Jacke, a 4-yard run by Bennett and a 13-yard pass to Sharpe.

A Walsh pass intended for Ryan Wetnight caromed off the outstretched hand of the second-year tight end and into the arms of LeRoy Butler, who sprinted 51 yards before being dragged down at the 4, setting up Bennett's fourth TD of the season.

"Steve (Walsh) makes a throw and it bounces off Wetnight and they intercept it and take it down and score," said Wannstedt. "That was probably the turning point in the game. Up to that point, the yardage and statistics were pretty close. I felt good then, even though we had not been real sharp."

Favre and Sharpe hooked up again-this time from 22 yards-to give Green Bay a 31-3 lead in the third period.

"Although we were up 24-3, they could easily come back because it's happened to us before and we've done it on other people," said Favre. "We knew, being as cold as it was and the conditions at our place, if we could come out and score, we would take them right out of it. That's exactly what we did. It was a great drive."

Three more Jacke field goals from 24, 20 and 29 yards added fuel to the Packer fans' delight.

"I think there are a lot of home-field advantages in this division," said Packers coach Mike Holmgren. "I think Detroit and Minnesota have a tremendous advantage in the domes. I think Tampa has a tremendous advantage at home because of the weather. I think we now have an advantage at Lambeau. We've established that. I think the Bears are tough at home. It's hard to sweep a series. Because of that, we're all bunched in there pretty close together."

The Bears dropped their final four games last season to finish 7-9. They have not won a road game in December since 1987.

"(The Packers) played at a higher level today than we did," said Wannstedt.

The Bears lost to the Rams in Anaheim in the season finale last January.

"Now this Rams game becomes the biggest game of the year," said Wannstedt.